One Weekend
by drgemini86
Summary: Cassie and her boyfriend are staying with Sam for the weekend, and so is Daniel. Sparks fly after a misunderstanding. Epiphany challenge set by EventHorizon7. SamDaniel, CassieOC
1. Chapter 1

_**One Weekend, by DrGemini86 (DrGemini24)**_

_**Summary: **Cassie and her boyfriend are staying with Sam for the weekend, and so is Daniel. Sparks fly after a misunderstanding. Epiphany challenge set by EventHorizon7. SamDaniel, CassieOC_

_**Pairings: **SamDaniel, CassieOC_

_**Rating: **T_

_**Category: **New Romance_

_**Genres: **A/U, Angst, Drama, Friendship, Holiday/Special Occasion, Humour, Relationship-focussed, Romance-focussed, Thoughts_

_**Challenge: **Set by EventHorizon7 on AT & T's Forum (www(dot)amaranthtraces(dot)com(slash)forum)_

"_Cassie and her boyfriend come to visit Sam for the weekend. Sam invites Daniel over for dinner with them and her boyfriend wrongly assumes that they are a couple, much to his and their embarrassment._

Lots of other embarrassing things happen, (rubs hands together in glee at the prospect of all the compromising positions we could get our heroes in) because Daniel is staying over at Sam's house for the weekend and it looks to the boyfriend more and more that Sam and Daniel are hiding a secret relationship, even Cassie begins to have her doubts.

This gets everyone thinking, least of all our dynamic duo, which ultimately leads to them realising that they are meant to be together.

Oh...it has to end with them in a bathtub together."

_**Spoilers: **Anything between seasons 1-10 is fair game, because... I'm not feeling anal enough to keep an audit of spoilered episodes. Also, some Atlantis spoilers flying about._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam liked holidays. At least she thought that she should. Holidays for people who didn't have the heavy burden of planetary defence on their shoulders usually meant things like long drives, shopping trips, or days out to the beach, weather permitting, or even venturing outside of the state or country. The last time she had ventured outside of the country while still on Earth was a trip to Vancouver in British Columbia in an attempt to recruit Jeannie McKay's mathematical expertise to aid the Atlantis expedition. That had been recorded at the SGC as a business trip, so that definitely didn't count as a holiday.

She regularly left the country as part of her job, travelling to distant planets, fighting against false gods and acquiring technology to aid that fight. All those trips through the Stargate, to Atlantis and aboard the Odyssey and Daedalus didn't count as holidays, and neither did they feel like holidays.

The problem was that she always had something to do. Even if she was on leave, she could be found in her lab at the SGC, poring over test data, working on other slightly less important pieces of technology. Just lately however, after a gamut of very strenuous missions that were both physically and mentally taxing, she and the rest of the team needed a break. They were tired and worn out from the fight against the Ori, the hunt for technology that they could use against these far more powerful false gods who made even the Goa'uld seem friendly.

Landry, for the first time in a long while, possibly for the first time ever during his command of the base, was able to grant the team a few days holiday that happened to be spread across a weekend. The team had all gone their separate ways; well, some of them at least. Cam and Teal'c had both gone to their respective homes. Daniel, however, was diligently working at the mountain, not wanting to take the opportunity to kick back, despite a bored Vala repeatedly plaguing him. That was hardly surprising seeing as in previous years, Jack had usually been the one with the stamina to keep up a long argument with the Archaeologist about why he should watch a curling game with him. Cam was tough, but he just didn't have that edge that the old General had.

Sam would have done the same, stayed at the mountain to catch up on projects. However after everything that she had been through, she wanted some time to herself, to reflect and perhaps to indulge. She needed to get away from it all; the responsibility, the piles of work, the feeling of working underground. So, much to the surprise of both Landry and Daniel, she actually went home. That was much to her own surprise too, considering the very few times she had been home in the past year or so since she had been reinstated as a member of SG-1.

Like Daniel, she had no-one to go home to, which was one of the excuses employed by the Archaeologist for taking leave. She didn't either but she had taken the leave anyway.

Having not had a proper holiday before by herself, she brainstormed the things that she could do. At the top of the list as she looked at her fingernails in dismay was a manicure, and a pedicure. Also, lingerie shopping. As she loaded a pile of laundry into the washing machine, she tried to remember with a wistful sigh a time when she had bought lingerie for someone else's pleasure rather than just her own. She scrunched up her nose as a sock fell onto the kitchen floor, and she remarked to the washing machine,

"I might as well get twenty cats and live in a haunted manor."

Having eventually managed to load the appliance, she sat back on her heels and watched as it began a pre-wash cycle. She glanced at her watch and sighed again. Cassie and her new boyfriend would be arriving soon to stay the weekend. She muttered to herself as she sat on the kitchen floor, her knees now against her chest as she took a moment to feel sorry for herself,

"She's not even Earth born and she's had more boyfriends in the past five years than I've ever had. Maybe I should get another cat..." She rested her head back against a cupboard, closing her eyes as she remembered Schrödinger.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Despite knowing that Cassie would be coming to stay for the weekend, the Colonel stared in surprise when she had answered the door later that afternoon to find a shorter haired Cassie and a brown haired young man on her doorstep. Her intended words of greeting had died on her lips on noticing a startling difference in Cassie's appearance.

"What did you do to your hair?!"

Cassie self-consciously reached up to touch her layered bob, replying bashfully, "I've had it like this for a while now."

Sam grinned. "It suits you." She opened her arms. "Come here, you." Sam engulfed Cassie in a huge hug. She eventually led Cassie and the man into the house, telling the man who she presumed to be Cassie's boyfriend, to leave their bags in the hallway. In the lounge, Cassie introduced the man, gesturing to him with a shy grin that sought Sam's approval,

"Sam... this is Simon Ventris, my boyfriend." She said to Simon as she gestured to Sam, "And this, Si, is Colonel Samantha Carter. She and my Mom were best buds."

Sam's smile softened as she remembered Janet. She shook Simon's hand effusively, saying with a grin, "Nice to meet you." Looking teasingly at Cassie, she said, an eyebrow raised at the Hankan, "Cassie's told me so much about you..." Simon looked at Cassie inquisitively as she looked increasingly embarrassed, due in no small part to deliberately avoiding to reveal details about her boyfriend to Sam in previous phone calls and emails.

Smirking triumphantly, Sam turned on her heel and went into the kitchen, calling behind her as she went to make coffee, "So... how was your flight?"

0o0o0o0o0o0

At the SGC, Daniel gritted his teeth in frustration as he tried to concentrate on his work. Next to his desk was Vala, a very bored Vala, which, he thought, must count as an occupational hazard in itself. He wondered whether he could get extra pay for living through her recent moaning spell. He then surmised that even if he did get extra pay, it would just sit in his bank account, doing nothing but perhaps accrue Interest as he barely had a life outside of work. There was no-one waiting at home; no-one repeatedly ringing him and asking him when he would be home.

That wasn't exactly a highlight in his life.

Which was why he was the only other member of SG-1 left on base. He grimaced as he forced himself to concentrate. Vala, in the meantime, was verbally brainstorming the places that she would like to go to, each place accompanied by a line or twelve about its more desirable aspects. Daniel knew that he shouldn't be annoyed. It wasn't her fault that she was left without anything interesting to do. She couldn't even leave the base by herself, and it wasn't as though he was available, or insane enough, for that matter, to take her out. In some low moments, however, he had considered taking her out with a zat.

"... Disney Land has men dressed up in suits modelled on the characters of each cartoon. Wouldn't that be great, Daniel? I'd love to see Snow White. I bet she had a lot of fun with seven men... I would. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if there were seven men on SG-1..." She frowned, trailing off on realising that Daniel wasn't listening to her, and she rolled her eyes. She then leaned over his desk, waving her hand in front of his face. He closed his eyes, dropping his pen to his desk as he said, looking and feeling defeated,

"Vala, I'm trying to do some work."

She rolled her eyes again and whined, "But you're always doing work!" She gesticulated expansively. "Look, I could have gone to Kansas with Cameron... and I could have gone to Dakara and Hak'tyl with Muscles... so thank your lucky stars that I chose to stay with you."

He frowned at her. "They both refused your repeated pleas to accompany them."

She raised a finger as though she was letting him in on a conspiracy. "That's what they wanted you to believe."

He groaned, his head dropping back as he closed his eyes again. "Vala, please, I really have to get this done."

"But everyone else is on vacation. I can't even hang around with Samantha because she finally remembered where her house is." She cocked her head at him flirtatiously. "I'd like to know where your house is."

Daniel, now even more frustrated, tried not to shout. "Vala! Get out!"

She perched on his desk and winked at him. He groaned again, wondering why the General wouldn't let him keep a zat in his office. He was at the end of his tether and was about to utter the worst possible expletive that he could think of when his phone rang. He looked at it in surprise, beginning to wonder whether it was a reincarnation of his mother who he remembered as being very stern when it came to bad language.

Vala looked at him peculiarly. "Aren't you going to answer it?"

Snapping out of the reverie brought on by remembering his parents, he answered the phone, hoping for an emergency or any other excuse where he could leave his office and not be pestered by Vala. "Daniel Jackson." At this point, he would even take up Balinsky's earlier offer of playing poker with a pack of Ancient playing cards that one of their colleagues had created as a learning resource. He liked Balinsky but the man treated him as though he was some sort of a legend, which was highly annoying when trying to win a game of poker or blackjack.

"Hey Daniel." Daniel couldn't help but smile on hearing Sam's voice, a welcome relief from the madness that had previously ensued, and the murderous feelings that had been elicited within him as a result. He was about to greet her when she continued quickly, "If you're not alone, just say 'Lucius'."

Bemused, Daniel said, trying not to give whatever game away that Sam was playing by not glancing at Vala, "Lucius."

"Right. Okay. Just reply 'yes' or 'no' to my questions then. You remember I said Cassie and her mysterious boyfriend were coming over for the weekend?" He nodded, and then realised that Sam couldn't see him. "Uh, yeah." Of course he did – he had promised to drop in on the last day of the weekend, by which time he had expected to finish the bulk of his work, or at least lose the remainder of his sanity.

"Okay. Good. We're going to have dinner at seven before they head out to the Alicia Keys concert that they've got tickets for. Oh, and bring an overnight bag. You need to take a break... one day to catch up with Cassie isn't enough."

Forgetting the rule that she had enforced, Daniel said with a defensive frown, "A day's fine... I've got too much work." He watched Vala wander over to a shelf with some delicate looking artefacts on it. He grimaced, hoping vainly that she wouldn't touch them.

"Oh, come on, Daniel! When's the last time you actually took any time off?"

He grimaced again, partially because Vala almost dropped a small urn that had previously survived earthquakes and other natural disasters, only to be in far worse peril now at the hands of Vala Mal Doran. He tried not to look as he remarked to Sam, "Good question. But..."

"Daniel, come on... please? That pile of work will still be there on Monday. And besides, we haven't hung out in ages."

He could never refuse Sam when she used a tone of voice that almost made him feel evil for protesting. Resigned at this perceived weakness, he said with a slight smile, unable to believe that he could get a couple of days away from Vala, even if he did feel a little guilty at leaving her by herself, "Okay, then. I'll, uh..."

Sam supplied helpfully, "Be coming to prepare material for a seminar on the K-T boundary?"

He almost uttered a declaration of love for her then and there, but refrained, not wanting to make his best friend feel awkward or even scared. Instead, he smiled slightly and said, "Yes, I'll have the notes for the K-T seminar with me as well." He hid his smile when he glanced up, noticing that Vala was now glaring at him, her arms folded across her chest.

He bade Sam farewell, careful not to mention her by name and replaced the handset. Vala asked, looking indignant, "You're leaving me alone?"

He got up, tidying up his work as he replied with a frown that he usually used to cover up the fact that he was lying, "Yes... I have to. I've got a seminar to prepare for. It's on the K-T boundary, which marks the transition from the Cretaceous period to the Terti..."

Vala waved dismissively, still looking annoyed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. But when will you be back?"

He sighed. "Probably a couple of days. It's an important seminar."

She whined, "Why can't I go with you?"

"Because you'll find it boring."

She waved a finger at him and looked at him sternly. "But I'm bored already. Believe me Daniel, the last time that I was this bored, I took hostages."

He muttered, annoyed as he remembered Vala hijacking the Prometheus, "I know. I was there."

He had reached the doorway when Vala asked, looking at him suspiciously, "Where are your notes?"

He turned to look at her, asking in confusion, "What?"

"Your seminar notes."

Grimacing a little at being caught out, he patted his pockets and then grabbed a memory stick from a trouser pocket, holding it up so that she could see it. "All on there."

She looked even more sceptical. "Whatever."

Daniel left, feeling bad about leaving Vala alone like that, and he silently promised that he would take her somewhere nice one day. Definitely somewhere where she wouldn't be kidnapped by the goons of an old enemy. He smiled as he turned a corner in the corridor, on his way to the locker room to change, his thoughts turning to spending quality time with Sam and Cassie.

0o0o0o0o0o0

_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

Sam couldn't help but do a veritable impression of the Cheshire cat during most of dinner that evening. At her dinner table, she had Cassie and a boyfriend, and there was Daniel. She smiled again as she glanced at the Archaeologist, who looked years younger as his almost customary frown evened out, and he actually smiled, and not sarcastically for once, as he chatted to Simon. As she watched her friend, she was reminded of the man that she had known before the team shake-up; not the overly stressed man from whom she had become somewhat alienated of late.

Sam's gaze moved back to Simon as he answered another one of Daniel's questions. She liked him. She decided that Simon had to be her favourite out of all of the Hankan's boyfriends. He was polite but not timid, and she had to admit that he was rather easy on the eye – not that she would be openly admitting that any time soon. She smirked as she watched Cassie, whose eyes were glazed over with pride and giddiness.

Despite her bout of jealousy while doing her laundry earlier, Sam was happy for her friend, but wistful too as she thought about the state of her own life, and as thoughts of Janet once more came to the fore.

She hid a smile as she noted to herself that Daniel's questions reminded her a lot of how her father used to interrogate her own boyfriends many years previously. It was understandable though that Daniel would view Cassie as a daughter of sorts – she did too, especially since Janet's passing. Even prior to that, she and her friends were very close to the Hankan, regularly exasperating Janet by spoiling the girl with gifts and days out.

Sam had often wondered what things could have been like if she had been the one to adopt Cassie.

She tuned those wistful thoughts out as she heard a now cheeky looking Daniel ask Simon, "So how did you guys meet?" Typical Daniel. Make friends with them first, disarm them, and then suddenly get to the point. Sam hid a smile as Simon looked at Cassie, who looked a little embarrassed as she replied,

"I was coming out of the campus library when I tripped over some steps." Cassie couldn't help but smile more as she looked at an equally embarrassed Simon. "Simon caught me, otherwise I would've fallen flat on my face."

"I didn't do anything. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Sam caught Daniel's eye and then smiled as they realised that Cassie and Simon were holding hands under the table. Sam then asked, remembering part of an earlier discussion, "What brought you to studying Ancient History?"

Simon, now shy as both Sam and Daniel looked at him, replied with a shrug, glancing down at the table, "Uh, I'm really into it. My Dad wanted to me to go into Sociolinguistics like him, but I like learning about the past more."

Daniel looked especially impressed as he and Sam exchanged a glance, Simon looking even more embarrassed at the attention. Daniel was about to ask another question when Cassie, leaping to Simon's defence, said, "Hey, here's an idea." Sam and Daniel exchanged an amused glance at the 'Jack-ism'. "How about, instead of picking on my boyfriend, we play a game where one person asks a question, and then they have to answer a question."

Simon shot her a grateful smile and the scientists nodded in acquiescence. Sam remarked as she glanced at Daniel teasingly, "Daniel's good at asking questions." Daniel raised his eyebrows at her and Sam said with a smile to Cassie, "Well, seeing as you suggested it, you can go first."

Cassie nodded. "Sure." She then looked at Daniel challengingly. "So, Doctor Question Asker. What did Jack get you for your last birthday?"

Sam chuckled in amusement as she remembered something, and everyone's eyes were drawn to Daniel, who replied, "A Simon Cowell action figure." Sam laughed as Cassie could barely control herself as she laughed out loud, Simon laughing quietly. Daniel shrugged, looking innocent. "What? He said I moan too much." He smiled as Sam smirked at him, and he turned back to Cassie. "My turn. Did you pass all of your exams last year?"

Cassie's smile vanished, much to Sam and Daniel's concern. She then grimaced a little. "Ah."

Sam looked at her sceptically. "Ah?"

Cassie replied bashfully, "I failed Biochemistry, but that was only because my car broke down on the way back from town the night before the exam. The Professor let me sit it again though."

Sam asked, looking bemused, "Why were you out right before an exam?"

Cassie shrugged and then rolled her eyes. "It was someone's birthday and I did leave in plenty of time."

"Uh-huh..."

"I did!"

Daniel jumped in before Sam could tease Cassie more. "Uh, whose go is it now?"

Sam looked at Cassie with a smirk. "Were there any rules you had in mind before saving Simon?"

Cassie rolled her eyes and remarked scathingly, "Yeah. I was kinda preoccupied."

Simon said with a shrug, "How about alphabetical order? It's Sam's turn next."

Sam smiled at him sweetly. "Thank you, Simon." She looked at Cassie, an eyebrow raised. "He explained it politely."

"We're not kids! Go ask a question already."

"Okay." Sam looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of something to ask Simon, bearing in mind that she had only met him earlier that day. She sighed and then smirked. She wasn't done with embarrassing Cassie yet. She feigned innocence as she asked Simon, "Are you two living together?"

Well aware that it was a short trip from there to asking about sleeping arrangements, Cassie glared at Sam as the Colonel folded her arms across her chest triumphantly as Daniel looked somewhat amused. Simon replied, reddening a little as he looked at his girlfriend,

"Uh... yeah. Three months."

Sam and Daniel exchanged a meaningful look, and then Sam said with a little smile, "Your turn."

Simon appeared pensive as he tried to think of a question. He looked as though he had chosen one but then looked unsure as to whether he should ask it. He glanced at Cassie again, and then at Daniel and Sam before asking, "How long have you and Daniel been together?"

Cassie dropped her fork in shock at the question as Daniel barely managed to stop himself from spitting out the water that he had just sipped from his glass. Sam just stared at the young man in shock. She and Daniel then looked at each other, still shocked, and then at Simon, both shaking their heads in denial as Sam replied,

"Uh, no, no... we're not together."

Cassie covered her mouth to hide an inadvertent snicker on seeing the shock on their faces, and she said to Simon, trying not to laugh out loud, "Si, they're just friends."

Simon immediately reddened in embarrassment at his mistake. He looked at Daniel and Sam, who were hastily trying to compose themselves. "I'm sorry... I just assumed..." He made a helpless gesture with his hand. "You're so close and in-tune with each other, if you don't mind me saying. I didn't see rings so I thought you guys had been dating for a while. Sorry."

Sam looked uncomfortable as she looked down at her plate. Daniel, glancing at her in concern, replied, "I guess it's an easy mistake to make. We're just really good friends." The words sounded bitter in his mouth, yet they were true. Suddenly neither of them were in a good mood any longer, the general mood at the table having taken a swift downturn.

Sam eventually cleared her throat and said, trying to sound bright but definitely not feeling it, "So... whose turn is it?"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Daniel walked into the kitchen, his hands in his pocket as he tried to put the previous awkwardness behind him. He had just returned from driving Cassie and Simon over to World Arena for the concert that had been their main reason for coming to the state, and he had had the drives there and back to think over things. There was nothing to be awkward about. The boy had just made an innocent assumption.

How was Simon to know that Sam didn't – and most likely couldn't – have those kind of feelings for him?

He watched Sam scrub the worktops and pots for a moment before he went to join her. He worked at her side, taking the top of the cooker apart to clean around the hobs. As he did so, Sam glanced at him and then asked, her eyes focussed on scrubbing a worktop,

"Did they get there on time?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah. They were just all excited about seeing Alicia Keys and thought they'd be late." He chuckled softly. "Honestly, that girl lived in Colorado Springs for years... It's not that far from here to the Arena."

Sam smiled at the thought of Cassie stressing out, and she asked as she rinsed the worktop that she had been scrubbing, drying it with a cloth, "How are you finding your leave so far?"

He remarked with a tight smile as he, having wiped the top of the cooker, replaced the irons on top, "It's better than the ones I've had in the past." He turned to smile at her warmly. "Thanks for getting me out of the mountain."

She smiled at him, their previous awkwardness dissipating quickly. "No problem. Even us geeks need to take a break." She asked as he joined her at the sink to dry dishes, "What do you want to do now that the kids have gone?"

He shrugged. "Probably some reading, I think." He raised his eyebrows as he put away a plate that he had dried. "It's kinda weird not having anything to do."

"Until the next emergency."

He groaned softly. "Oh, don't tempt fate. If we're lucky, we could actually go back to work when we're scheduled to, and not in the middle of the night because Adria or the Ba'als are wreaking havoc."

She sighed wistfully. "They're doing that anyway."

"I know." He grimaced a little at the thought that even while on leave, they couldn't completely turn their backs on what was going on out in the galaxy and beyond. He asked, wanting to change the subject, "What are you planning on doing tonight?"

She shrugged as she passed a freshly washed plate to him. "I don't know. I was thinking a movie but if you want to read, that's cool. I guess I could do with reading something fictional that's not the script for the latest episode of Wormhole X-Treme."

They both laughed at the thought of the fictional show being a 'slightly ridiculous' cover for the operations at the SGC. She sighed as she blew a stray tendril of hair from her eyes. "I wonder how Major Monroe keeps looking so sprightly, episode after episode."

"Well, you know... it's not real. At the end of the day, she gets to go home and be Yolanda Reese again. Unfortunately, we don't have the ability to do that."

She suddenly chuckled and smirked at him. "Doctor Levant is such an ass."

"Thus emphasising what I said about it not being 'real'." He looked at her anxiously. "I don't curse that much, do I?"

She dried her hands, having finished washing up, and she remarked teasingly, touching his cheek affectionately, "You don't curse that much _in English_..."

He was about to look offended but forgot to when their gazes locked. He suddenly felt as though he was being drawn towards her. Suddenly, all he could think of was her lips. He nervously glanced down at them, and turned away, breaking the spell. He shouldn't be having those kinds of thoughts about her.

Sam looked down, unsure of what had just happened. She then said, patting him on the shoulder with a wistful expression on her face, "I'll be back in a little while... I'm just going up for a bath. Are you going to be okay?"

Concentrating on drying the rest of the plates, glasses and pans, he replied with a tight expression, "Yeah. Fine."

She nodded, feeling too awkward to dwell on his facial expressions and words, and she left the kitchen. When he eventually heard Sam ascend the stairs, Daniel exhaled in relief as he turned around, his lower back against the front of the sink. He looked down at the tea towel that he held, his face now heating up as he contemplated the thoughts that had just gone through his head when he had faced her a few minutes previously. He blinked sadly, hating himself for his feelings that could never be requited.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam sank into the steaming hot tub with a groan. She closed her eyes as she felt the hot water massage her tired muscles, and she sank further in, fully immersing herself. She came up again soon afterwards, getting her breath back as she ran her fingers through her now soapy hair. She relaxed again with a tired smile, breathing in the soft floral scent of the crème bath.

She looked up at the toy duck on the shelf; the rubber item a joke gift from Cam after he had returned from a trip to Memphis, Tennessee. It sported a representation of Elvis' trademark hairstyle and sunglasses; its body clothed in white to resemble the singer's jumpsuit. Suddenly she felt the bitter sting of tears at what the duck symbolised to her at that moment.

She silently admonished herself as she reached up to get the duck. She watched it float on the water, chuckling softly when it lit up, changing colours as it continued its voyage. She whispered to it with a wistful expression,

"You're going to Cassie's kids."

The duck changed colour in reply, and she remarked as she leaned back, her eyes closed, "Yeah. Thought you'd like that."

She couldn't help but smile a little on thinking of Cassie and Simon. Her smile faded thoughtfully as she remembered Simon's first question to her. She grimaced a little as she remembered how awkward Daniel had appeared, and how things had felt awkward after that. She mentally shook herself, chastising herself for the sadness that threatened to overwhelm her.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Having finished cleaning things around the kitchen, Daniel glanced up at the ceiling, wondering when Sam would be finishing her bath. He then looked around for one of the books that he had brought with him. Frowning on not finding it, he remembered where he had left it, and left the room, jogging upstairs to rummage in his bag.

He was about to carefully go into Sam's room, where the Colonel had stowed his bag away earlier, when the bathroom door opened and out came Sam. All cogent thought left his head as it barely registered to him that she was wearing only a towel. He eventually managed to tear his eyes away as a shocked Colonel said, re-adjusting the towel around herself in embarrassment,

"Daniel!"

He closed his eyes, hoping that the relative darkness of the landing would no doubt hide the redness of his face. "Uh... I was just getting a book from my bag." He turned away without looking at her, walking towards the stairs. "I'll get it later."

Closing her eyes for a moment, she said calmly, "Daniel."

He stopped, his back still to her, and she continued. "Go on and get it, it's okay. I'll just hide out in the bathroom if you're going to be too embarrassed." He was about to object when she went back into the bathroom, now smiling in amusement at the awkwardness of the situation, intending to laugh when she was hidden away. Daniel made a face out of awkwardness and then went into Sam's room, quickly retrieving his bag, just in case he needed anything else.

He called as he passed the bathroom, going to the stairs again. "Thanks Sam."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Downstairs, Sam found Daniel sat on the sofa, frowning as he concentrated on reading. She noticed his bag on the floor and she said, looking worried as she sat down next to him, "Daniel... please tell me you don't intend to sleep on the couch tonight."

He glanced at her, sounding distracted. "Uh, well, do you want me to sleep on the roof?"

She chuckled softly at the remark. "No, silly." Her smile faded as she got his full attention when she patted his knee. "It gets really cold down here in the night. I don't want you to get ill."

He shrugged as he went back to reading. "I'll just borrow your spare comforter."

She smiled at his determination. "You can share mine."

That got his attention. He looked at her, his book forgotten. "Uh... Sam..." He looked awkward.

Finding herself, to her surprise, disappointed at his awkwardness, she said with a slight smile, "Daniel... come on, you've slept next to me during missions. Don't be silly. And I'm tired of sleeping alone."

He looked at her, surprised, and she spluttered in embarrassment when she realised what she had said and how it could have been interpreted. "Uh... you know what I mean." She nudged him. "Haven't been able to catch up with you in ages."

He raised his eyebrows. "And having me in your bed is supposed to compensate for that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Daniel Jackson..."

"Oh, so now you're doing impersonations of Teal'c?"

She whacked him on the knee and then laughed. "Daniel!" She smiled and then rested her head against his shoulder. "I've missed you." She held his hand. "And this whole thing doesn't get any easier. It's still fun at times, which I guess should be a good thing."

He hummed in agreement as he let go of her hand to slip his arm around her shoulders. "Probably." He looked down at her. "Can't help but think of how things could have been though."

"Yeah." She smiled wistfully, her smile fading ever so slightly as the warmth of his embrace soothed her. Her eyes began to flicker, and then at last her eyes closed as she fell asleep. Daniel gazed down at her in his arms with a pensive expression on his face. He smoothed her hair and then kissed the top of her head before resting his own head against hers.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Much later, after Cassie and Simon had returned from the concert and were now settled in Sam's spare room, Daniel lie next to Sam in the Colonel's bed. He glanced over at her it in the darkness that was illuminated by the soft light of a bedside lamp. He asked, rather liking the idea of sharing her bed now but trying not to show it,

"What are we doing tomorrow?"

Sam turned over so that she was propped up on her elbow as she gazed down at him. "Hmm. Well, Cassie and I are going to the Mall for some girly stuff. I think Simon's textbook shopping... do you want to help him?"

He blushed in the semi-darkness. "I guess I'll have to."

"I was thinking maybe we could go to the Zoo or something, or eat out."

"That sounds good. Maybe we could all catch a movie too."

"Cool." She asked after a moment's pause, "What do you think of him?"

He smiled slightly as he looked up at the ceiling. "I like him. He's not weird like that last one." He glanced at her. "What about you? You smiled so much during dinner that I thought your head was going to fall off."

She laughed and then sighed. "I like him too. He's kinda cute."

He raised an eyebrow at her teasingly. "_Kinda_ cute?"

She grinned. "Yeah." When he continued to silently tease her, she hit him on the arm, remarking as she tried to look offended but wasn't able to, "Hey, you may not have noticed, but I am a woman."

He refrained from remarking that he had noticed all too well, and Sam continued, "And besides, I bet you, Cam and Teal'c rate women regularly when Vala and I aren't around."

"Uh, no... Well, Mitchell does it on occasion when he forgets that whole southern gentleman thing... but no-one could beat Jack. He could do it without getting caught when he did that blank face of his. I swear, everyone must have thought that he was stoned half the time."

She chuckled as she recalled Argos. "Yeah. Well, they wouldn't have said that if they'd actually seen him stoned."

He hummed in agreement and then sighed, glancing at her again. "Thanks."

She looked at him. "What for?"

He shrugged. "For this."

She smiled a smile tinged with emotion as she looked back up at the ceiling once again. "Right back at ya." Feeling her eyes burn with the onset of tears, she kissed him on the cheek gently and said softly, "It's nice not being alone for once."


	3. Chapter 3

Sam shifted in her sleep, smiling slightly on feeling a snug warmth encompass her; a warmth that she hadn't felt in a long time. She was about to turn and enjoy the dream before having to face reality, when she frowned on feeling something twitch against her lower back. She woke up, careful not to make any sudden movements – a reaction now second-nature after a long time on SG-1. She frowned as she looked down when she moved her arm, seeing a hand – a man's hand on her stomach. She then closed her eyes for a moment, about to wonder who she could have brought home when she opened her eyes just as quickly, remembering what had happened the night before.

She carefully turned over so that she was lying on her back, and she saw Daniel fast asleep. She chewed her lip, worried as she considered her options. Should she wake him up with the risk that he would be too embarrassed and awkward to stay for the rest of the weekend? Or should she quickly make her escape and hope that he would be none the wiser about what had happened? It wasn't his fault – it was just a natural male reaction to perhaps a dream.

She took the opportunity to watch him, noticing how at peace he seemed, his chin next to her shoulder, his arm still around her. She reasoned as she watched his eyes flicker, his eye balls moving from side to side under his lids as he went through REM sleep, that he was having a dream about Sha're.

Sam slowly shifted so that her hip wasn't touching Daniel, and she hesitated before draping her arm over his waist. She closed her eyes, resting her head against his as she went back to sleep, making a silent promise not to mention to him later what had transpired. The weekend was too short to start getting awkward about things. She would just have to work through at a later time the confusing feelings that the situation had elicited and had brought to the fore.

0o0o0o0o0o0

In the doorway of Sam's guest room, Cassie grinned up at a smiling Simon as he wrapped his arms around her, her own arms around his shoulders. She remarked, looking amused, "I'm only going in the other room to see Sam."

He held her close, retorting affectionately as he rested his chin on the top of her head, "I don't see you complaining."

"Well, as long as you're not after the thing you're usually after..." They kissed, and she continued to gaze up at him. "This has just been so great, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. I love these guys."

She grinned happily. "I thought you would." She rested her head against his shoulder and groaned softly. "Si, I've got to go."

He rubbed her back. "I'm not stopping you."

She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss before reluctantly disentangling herself from him. He leaned in the doorway for a moment before going back into the room. He sat on the bed with his bag in his lap, about to go through it when suddenly Cassie entered the room, shutting the door behind her, her back against it. He looked up, frowning in concern on noticing that she looked shocked. He asked, putting his bag aside,

"Cass?"

She shook her head, looking overwhelmed. She paced the floor, looking more and more agitated as Simon remained seated, waiting for her to talk. Eventually she said, stopping her pacing, and dropping rather than sitting down next to him, "They lied."

Concerned, he slipped an arm around her, her head resting against his shoulder as she looked sad. "Who? Who lied?"

She shook her head. "They did. They said that they weren't an item. They told you last night."

He looked confused for a moment. He then realised that she was referring to Daniel and Sam. He asked, despite his own suspicions about their closeness, "Yeah... so what?"

She looked up at him and he looked worried on seeing tears in her eyes. "They're in bed together... and judging by how they're..." She looked down and clenched her fists in frustration, throwing them down onto her thighs. "... they're definitely not _just _friends."

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "Cass, come on."

"They lied to you. They never said anything to me. I always thought that Sam trusted me."

"Hey now, come on. There's got to be another reason. Maybe they were talking. They're very close." He paused. "Were they naked?"

She shook her head, and he continued with a shrug, "See? It's nothing."

"But you didn't see how they were sleeping. Friends don't sleep together like that."

He gazed down at her, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "Okay, so it could be something new, and maybe they're going to tell you. Maybe they just got lonely. Maybe... maybe they just might be grown-ups and don't have to tell you everything." When she looked affronted, he slowly caressed her jaw. "Look, I have no idea how old they are, but I've seen what they're like with you. They're like friends, true; really good friends, but Daniel was grilling me like he was your Dad."

He hugged her, and she sighed. "You've got a point, I guess. Maybe I'm making too much out of this." She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding onto him tighter.

"I know they're family, Cass, and I know I have no right to say the things I just said, but there comes a time when you just have to stop letting things get to you like that. They don't stop when you go back to Westwood. Now come on, let's get showered before they wake up."

She suddenly laughed, hitting him on the chest. "Si, we're not at home." She looked up at him in amusement. "They're bound to catch us coming out of the bathroom together."

He shrugged and remarked with a conspiratorial smirk, "You caught them in bed together. I'm thinking my MD-to-be has one up on them here... even if it is innocent."

0o0o0o0o0o0

As Cassie and Simon laughed at some private joke in the lounge, Sam, with a steaming mug, sat down next to Daniel in the kitchen as he frowned at his newspaper at the kitchen table. He smiled at her briefly in greeting, and she asked, remembering how embarrassed he had looked earlier when he had woken up to find her in his arms,

"How are you doing?"

His eyes still on the paper, he said quietly, "I don't think it's a good idea for me to sleep in your bed tonight." He turned a page, as if to signal that he didn't want an argument. Only partially surprised, she put her mug down on the table. She turned to him and said,

"Daniel. Look at me."

He shook his head, and she touched his jaw. He sighed and looked at her, embarrassed as well as awkward. "I'm sorry, Sam. I..." He closed his eyes and shook his head before looking away from her, his head hung in shame.

Looking concerned, Sam said, "We've hugged before."

Still not looking at her, his head lowered again. "_Not_ like that..."

She rested her hand over his. "Hey, come on, we were sharing a bed. Things happen; life doesn't stand still because of that." She shrugged. "Why do _you_ have to feel bad about it?" His cheeks reddened as he closed his eyes, and she sighed. "And before you say it, or _don't_ say it... I was flattered." She kissed him on the cheek and left for the lounge, not seeing the stunned expression on his face as he stared at her retreating figure.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Cassie and Sam, their hands full of bags, emerged from another shop at the Mall, laughing and chatting as they joined the crowds. Sam remarked with a laugh, glancing at Cassie,

"Oh... my Visa bill's going to be huge next month."

Cassie looked at her, flushed with excitement. "It's not like that thing gets much use anyhow."

Sam sighed, raising her eyebrows briefly as her smile faded. "Yeah, too true. The perils of being a geek without a man to come home to."

Cassie shot her dirty look, which confused the Colonel. Sam asked, "What?" Cassie shook her head, and Sam persisted. "Come on. What is it?"

Cassie looked at her scathingly. "You know what." She looked as though she wasn't going to say anything else when she suddenly stopped. Sam stopped too, looking at her in concern as the crowds surged around them. Cassie suddenly exploded. "You are such a liar!"

Sam looked offended. "Cassie!"

"No! Stop pretending! I'm not stupid! You lied yesterday." Cassie groaned, hanging her head in defeat. "I promised Si I wouldn't bring this up, but I can't leave it." She swallowed and looked at a highly bewildered Sam. "You and Daniel are killing the unicorn."

Sam continued to look confused. A moment later, the Colonel reddened profusely on realising what Cassie had been implying. She exclaimed, "No!"

Cassie shot her a look. "You do know what I mean, don't you? Or do I have to elaborate!?" She looked up for a moment. "Playing cars and garages, waxing the giraffe, getting a home run, working the rosin bag, riding the pine, sliding home, dialling AOL, climbing the flag pole..."

Sam's eyes widened in shock at the euphemisms, the Colonel's mouth agape. Finally, she managed to speak as Cassie threw her arms down in frustration. "Oh God. No!"

Cassie looked at her challengingly. "Yeah, didn't think I'd find out, did ya?"

Sam shook her head. "Cassie... no." She closed her eyes, realising how Cassie had come to surmise that she and Daniel were together. She looked at the younger woman, who now looked more upset than angry. "We're not together, Cass. I promise."

"But..."

Sam shook her head again. "You know how it gets cold downstairs at this time of year. I've known Daniel for a very long time, a little longer than I've known you for, and I trust him with my life. Nothing happened." Sam looked away, suddenly feeling wistful as she said that last part, and she sighed. She looked at Cassie again and said, "Come on, that's enough airing dirty linen for a lifetime. Let's get a coffee while the boys are still on the hunt for books. Knowing Daniel, we could be waiting days."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Now looking much cheerful, Cassie, her elbows resting on their table at Starbucks, rested her chin on her hands. She asked as she looked at Sam, the Colonel taking a sip of her coffee, "So... what was it like sharing a bed with Daniel?"

Sam stared at her in surprise. "You are impossible, Cassandra Frasier." She paused. "I thought Daniel was a sort of uncle to you."

Cassie rolled her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not blind."

Sam couldn't help but smile at the younger woman's scathing look. She leaned forward and remarked, a cheeky glint in her eyes. "I'll only tell you... _if_ you tell me where you picked up all those euphemisms for sex from. I'm telling you, if your Mom had heard that, she would have grounded you 'til you were a little old lady."

Cassie shrugged, remarking quietly, "Probably." Before Sam could say anything in consolation or comfort, the Hankan replied, smiling again eventually, "You think they're all preppy at UCLA?"

Sam smiled cheekily. "Oh, it's all so clear now. You don't do any work at all... you just party. Does Simon know how many boys you've..."

Cassie retorted, "They're not boys!" She smirked. "Well, compared to you..."

Sam pretended to look shocked. "What are you saying?"

Cassie smiled sweetly. "Nothing." She then raised an eyebrow. "So... your half of the bargain then. What was it like?"

"But you didn't exactly specify where you'd picked up those terms from. I hadn't heard most of them until a few minutes ago."

"Oh, for crying out loud..."

Sam smirked, and then said with a shrug, "It was like sharing a bed with... I wouldn't say Mark, because if it was Mark, I'd end up snarking at him half the night and embarrassing the hell out of him, and he'd tickle me and call me names." They chuckled, and then Sam looked thoughtful. "It was like sharing a bed with a really good friend. We caught up... I mean, I know we work together but this whole... _thing _has got us stressed out right now." She looked at Cassie meaningfully, well aware of their public surroundings, and the younger woman nodded. "It was great. I felt totally comfortable. It wasn't like with other guys... I mean, with other guy friends, you wouldn't even consider it because there would always be a trust issue, but not with Daniel. The guy's not a saint... hell, he's far from being a saint, but he's a total gentleman."

Cassie looked at her sceptically. "Yeah right."

"What?!"

"A total gentleman, huh? I was coming to talk to you this morning, and you guys were all cosied up."

Sam reddened as she looked down at her lap. She then replied, slowly returning her gaze to Cassie, "Well, that was inevitable. Neither one of us has shared a bed with anyone for a long time. It didn't mean anything." Once again, Sam found herself feeling an inexplicable sadness when she dismissed anything related to Daniel as simply being borne of friendship or an inevitable accident.

Cassie smiled and said, reaching for Sam's hand, "Look... I'm sorry for what I said earlier. It's just that... to tell you the truth, I don't like being away from home so much. And I feel like an old lady saying this, but it feels like I'm missing stuff. We rarely see each other these days... and I'm worried that one day you'll find someone, and I'll never know until I get the wedding invite."

Sam chuckled in disdain. "Yeah. Like that's gonna happen." She sighed. "Cass... it's okay. I understand. You know what? If I ever do get with anyone, you'll be one of the first to know, okay?"

"I don't want to own your life or anything... you are way older than me after all..."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Thanks for the reminder."

Cassie smiled fleetingly. "... but I just want to know where I stand... that I still stand somewhere."

Sam looked concerned at what Cassie had said, "Oh honey, of course you stand somewhere. In fact, you're still in the same spot you've always been." She gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I do miss you, you know... and believe me, it was one of the hardest things that I've ever had to do, having to leave you when General O'Neill ordered me to return to Cheyenne Mountain." She scrunched up her nose. "I guess I'm never going to be good at this whole Mom thing." She grimaced a little.

Cassie gazed at her briefly and then said, "I know how to lift this mood we've gotten into."

Sam remarked with a wistful smile, "Don't say 'more shopping'. I think our cards are going to spontaneously combust."

Cassie chuckled and then grinned. "Mani-pedis!"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Daniel and Simon emerged from another shop, lugging several heavy bags. The Archaeologist, beaming from having someone to share some of his passions with, said, "You are going to love the Strunk and White that I got you. My friend Jack got me my first copy."

Simon remarked with a chuckle, glancing at Daniel, "Full of contradictions that guy, huh?"

Surprised, Daniel asked as they joined the crowds, "Wait, you know him?"

Simon nodded. "Yeah. He came to Westwood for a visit not too long ago. Plus my uncle used to serve in the Special Forces with him in the eighties."

Daniel looked impressed. "Oh right." He chuckled briefly. "I'm always surprised when people know him. He's not especially sociable. Very good with kids though." He then looked slightly perturbed that Jack hadn't visited Colorado recently.

"Yeah." Simon glanced at Daniel. "Thanks for everything, Daniel... but..."

Daniel looked at him, his eyebrows raised. "Don't say it. I'm not taking any money off you. It's a gift. Seeing as I have no hope in hell of working out what to get Cassie these days without roping Sam in, I might as well buy for someone that I do have a clue about."

"You guys are very protective of her."

Daniel chose his words carefully, bearing in mind that Simon was unaware of Cassie's true origins. "She's like a daughter to us... and to Jack and, uh, Murray."

Simon suddenly appeared embarrassed. "Hey, about last night... if I offended you and Sam..."

Daniel shrugged and looked away, not wanting to discuss something of a very personal nature with someone who was essentially a stranger. "It's okay. It was an easy mistake to make." He frowned, trying not to think about how good it felt to wake up with Sam in his arms.

Simon glanced at him uneasily and looked as though he was going to ask something. He made a face, not feeling comfortable with asking Daniel something very personal, so he said nothing, silently following Daniel to the next shop.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam remarked as she sat in a café, checking out her newly manicured fingernails, "I can so see these being ruined as soon as I get back to work."

Cassie smiled knowingly. "If you can't spoil yourself once in a while..."

"It's just as well you didn't successfully talk me into going for an all out makeover."

Cassie rolled her eyes as she rummaged through a bag. "Talk about being geektastic."

Sam scowled defensively. "Hey! There's nothing wrong with my make-up."

"You're just not daring enough."

"Daring?! Cass, it might have escaped you... but I'm forty-two not fourteen." Sam shook her head slightly. "I'm getting lines in places that I don't want to get lines in... stuff's starting to go south, I get tired quicker than I used to... and if I didn't touch up my hair every once in a while, I'd be ashamed to leave the house."

Cassie snorted with laughter. "Yeah right."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "This is going to be you one day. Well, okay, you'll more than likely actually have a life... but everything else..." She trailed off on sighting Daniel and Simon, and she smiled, waving at them as a smug Cassie followed her gaze.

Simon stooped to kiss Cassie, and Sam was about to get up when Daniel grabbed a couple of chairs from nearby tables. The Archaeologist remarked to Sam in amusement, noticing the piles of bags around and underneath the table, "Are you sure you've shopped enough? I think we should get a picture for Mitchell and Teal'c to laugh at."

As Simon showed Cassie one of the books the men had bought, Sam replied with a shrug, a touch embarrassed, "Hey, I don't get to go shopping much... I'm playing catch up." She eyed some heavy looking bags that were around Simon's and Daniel's chairs. "And it looks like you're doing the same."

Daniel smiled at her. "So... what did you guys do?"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Back home again, Sam curled up next to Daniel on the sofa, his arm draped across the back of her seat. They looked back at Cassie and Simon as they left the lounge, and Sam said with a small smile, feeling wistful that Cassie had grown up so fast, "Hey, you guys have fun."

Simon smiled with a nod as Cassie replied with a dismissive wave, "It's only a walk... but thanks. You guys have fun too."

Daniel remarked with a touch of sarcasm, "Yeah. Have fun being the old guys." He smiled, and they left the house. He looked at Sam, his smile gone as the front door slammed shut. Sam looked up at him, worried.

"Daniel, we've been over this. No."

He shook his head, sadness and regret making his frown falter. "I have to."

"Why!? I'm not offended or upset about it."

"It shouldn't have happened." He stood up, leaving a very sad Sam in her seat. She watched him leave the room. He glanced back at her reluctantly. "I'm just gonna go pack my things. It's been great, Sam. Thanks for getting me out of the mountain. I really do appreciate it." He left, ascending the stairs as she found herself crying at the prospect of him leaving, and under such undesired circumstances.

Some time later, Sam got up and went upstairs, feeling the need to clear things up between her and Daniel, but not knowing how. She found him sitting on the end of her bed, his eyes on his bag next to him, his packing appearing to be on hiatus. He looked up at her, sensing her presence, and she said, casting his bag aside and sitting in its place,

"Daniel, you can't go. Not like this."

He looked down at his hands with a sigh. "I'm not your boyfriend or your husband, Sam. I know I did things during the night that crossed that line several times over." He closed his eyes, looking disgusted. "This morning, I..." He sighed, unable to complete that sentence without making her awkward. He looked at her, the Colonel sad to see so many conflicting emotions in his eyes. "I've really enjoyed this extra time with you... you know, to catch up and everything... and doing something other than working. I've never felt so free, but if I stay, I'm going to do something that I'll regret... and I'll regret it chiefly because I'll lose your friendship. That is way too valuable to me... it always has been."

He looked down again as she leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. "Is there anything I can do that will get you to stay?"

He shook his head after a moment's hesitation. She held his hand and said, feeling sadder than she already had been, "Well, I guess I might as well be honest if this is going to wreck things between us." She looked up at him. "I liked waking up in your arms this morning. Admittedly it was unexpected, but it felt good." She touched his cheek when his shame-filled gaze fell away from hers. "I'm not mad about the other thing that you did either. I mean, come on, it's not like it made me reach for the smelling salts. To be honest, I was flattered, although I have no right to be. But my point is that it's not like I've never experienced that before."

She gave his hand a squeeze. "I don't want things to be fucked between us."

"If you want me to stay, then I'll sleep on your couch. I..."

"No. I'll sleep on my couch. You can have my bed."

He frowned. "Sam."

"Then stay in my bed. I honestly don't want you to catch a cold." She got up and walked away from him, walking to the doorway. "Unless you find me so repulsive that..."

He said, looking shocked yet guarded, "Where did you get that idea from?"

She turned back to him, tears on her cheeks. "Let's face it, Daniel. I'm not Vala."

"What?!" He stood up and demanded, "What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

She turned away from him once again, her arms folded across her chest. "Nothing." Still facing away from him, she whispered as she dried her eyes, "It's okay. If you don't want to stay... I can't force you." She closed her eyes, surprised at how hard she was taking the prospect of his departure. "I just hope we can talk about this some other time."

She walked away but he followed her onto the landing. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, the Archaeologist looking very annoyed and confused. "Sam, you can't just say stuff like that and expect me to quietly slip out. What did you mean about you not being Vala?" He groaned as he closed his eyes for a moment. "Didn't you think that I'd notice that you're about the only person who doesn't drive me up the wall?" He shook his head as she looked at him, his tone softening. "Sam, I know you're sensitive about your age. Hell, I am too, especially when I consider how my life could have turned out." He caressed her cheek. "The reason why I don't want to stay is because of you, and not because I don't like you, or find you repulsive... I could never find you repulsive, believe me. I just respect you too much to cross that line again. Inviting me to your bed was a sign of trust on your part, and last night, I destroyed that, unconsciously or otherwise. It shouldn't have happened."

She blinked back tears as she looked away from him. "I don't care, Daniel. I honestly don't." She looked up at him, anguish in her eyes which she tried to keep under control. "If it helps, I still dream about Jonas and Pete." He frowned in confusion at the remark, and she continued, "It's natural for someone who used to be in a long term relationship... and I know, to an extent, how big a part of your life Sha're was and still is. I'm not offended that you were dreaming about her."

He looked confused and then said softly, realising what she was saying, "Sam... I know what you mean. I understand. And to be honest, I still dream about her. The dreams aren't as intense as they used to be, but they're still there." He looked increasingly sad as he touched her cheek once again. "But last night... I wasn't dreaming about Sha're."

Without another word, he returned to Sam's room to pack his bag, calling, "I think we'd better clean up our acts before Cassie and Simon come back. They're still under the impression that we're an item... and you grabbing my hand in the movie theatre didn't help. They're just going to be amused if they think we've had a row."

She stormed into the room and grabbed his bag, throwing it to the ground as he stared at it and then at her, aghast. "Sam?! What the hell are you doing?!"

She replied, determination in her eyes, "You are not going."

He groaned, looking away from her. "Come on, we've been over this. I have to."

"I'm sick of you skirting around the issue and getting embarrassed! What are we, teenagers!?"

His hackles rising, the Archaeologist unable to resist an argument, he retorted heatedly, "You could've fooled me... all that time you spent pining over Jack." He looked away from her, ashamed of his words as she looked shocked and hurt, forgetting what she was about to say. More tears fell from her eyes and she turned on her heel and stormed out, leaving him looking helpless, and feeling guiltier than he already did. He called after her, hesitantly following her,

"Sam!"


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks to MerryKK for pointing out an element of the canon timeline which I'd screwed up. Thanks!_

0o0o0o0o0o0

Cassie remarked with a little laugh as she opened the front door, her head turned back to look at Simon behind her on the doorstep, "Well, how was I to know that you were taking me somewhere where I'd need my good camera? Honestly. Anyway, I won't be a second..." She entered the house and he followed her. He asked when she went into the lounge,

"Isn't it in your bag?"

She shook her head as she peeked into a cupboard. "I was showing Sam some pictures earlier." She frowned and muttered as she looked around the room, "Where did I put it?" They both suddenly froze and stared at each other in surprise on hearing the sounds of a row from upstairs. "That reminds me... what are those guys doing up there?"

He remarked with a frown as he looked at the staircase hesitantly, "Well, I'm guessing a 'no' on making love while the kids are out."

She wrinkled her nose in thought and then caught sight of her camera. Grabbing it, she was about to leave the room when an upset Sam stormed in as Simon jumped out of her way, into the hall. Cassie opened her mouth to speak when Daniel appeared too, grabbing Sam's shoulder.

Cassie's eyes widened in shock as they proceeded to yell at each other, oblivious to her presence. She made eye contact with Simon, who reached into the room and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her out. She said, sounding scared as they left the house,

"Si, they're..."

Simon said as he quietly closed the door behind them, "Let them get on with it." He looked at her in concern, trying not to listen to the insults and barbs from inside. "Come on, let's get some dinner. My treat. We can talk." He reached for her hand and she nodded, looking worried, glancing back at the house as they walked away.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"How dare you throw the General in my face?!" Sam turned away from Daniel, her arms folded across her chest as she tried not to physically harm Daniel. She clenched her fists. "_Pining_?! Pining? Is that what I was doing? PINING?! How dare you!?"

Daniel snapped, frowning, "How dare _I_?! You're the one who..." He mocked her, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "... cared for him more than you're supposed to. You're the one who broke off your engagement after going to Jack's house. You're the one who..."

An affronted Sam spun around to face him. "What did you just say?"

"Oh come on, now you're going to say that you _didn't_ tell me about that?"

Her eyes widened in shock. "You bastard." She clenched her fists tighter. "You bastard! I told you why I went there... and it wasn't because of him. It was because I was having doubts, and Dad not thinking much of Pete didn't help things. It got me thinking about what I was doing with my life. I had no-one else to talk to. Teal'c was spending more time on Dakara, and you were gone..." She sniffed, feeling tears running down her cheeks as she turned away from him once again. Her voice lowered. "I couldn't go through with it. It wasn't because of the General."

Concerned and feeling sorry, he placed a hand on her shoulder, saying softly, "Sam..."

She shrugged his hand off violently, almost screaming at him, "Don't touch me!"

She spun around again, tears falling faster. "What the hell is your problem!?"

His eyes widened briefly. "What the hell is _my_ problem?"

"I never threw Vala in your face like that! She's all over you most of the day. For fuck's sake, do everyone a favour and get a room. You're making me sick."

"Sam?!" He frowned angrily. "What are you talking about!? You're ranting like a lunatic!"

Her eyes dangerously cold, she remarked sarcastically, "Oh, and saying that I was pining after Jack is completely sane, is it? Maybe MacKenzie was right... you are nuts." She had wanted to hurt him as much as she was hurting, but it felt a hollow victory when she watched him turn away.

His back to her, he sighed, his voice somewhat calmer than it had been. "This is just going to get worse, isn't it?" He shook his head. "Fine. If this is how you want it..." He turned to look at her. "I'm packing my bag and I'm going. When we get back to work, I'm moving to another team." He shook his head, looking hurt as he left the room. "I never thought you could be that callous, Sam."

She watched him go, tears continuing to roll down her cheeks. And then something snapped. She lost control. She yelled before turning to walk into the kitchen, "Well, get used to it. Vala's going to be much worse. I hope you're happy with her. And then you can't pretend that you're not banging her brains out any more."

The next thing she knew, she was being pinned to the front of the fridge by a furious Archaeologist, whose face was only inches from hers. He said, restraining her tighter each time she tried to free herself, "Let's get one thing straight here. I am not in love with Vala. I have never slept with her. If you ever bring that up again..." He blocked a knee that was aimed at his manhood. "... I will move to another team."

Her teeth clenched, she spat, "You threw Jack in my face. How am I not supposed to be pissed? The next time you do it, forget moving teams, I'll kill you... or at least give Carolyn a few hours of work." She closed her eyes and sighed. She rested her head back against the fridge and then looked at him, looking upset, "Daniel, what the hell is happening to us?"

He slowly let her go, keeping a cautious eye out in general. "I don't know... but whatever the hell it is, it's scaring the hell out of me."

She sniffed and walked away from him. "Look... what I said about Vala..."

He watched her sadly. "I know. And you know, the crap about Jack..."

She nodded and he continued with a sigh, "What did you mean earlier about not being Vala?"

She shook her head. "I was just being stupid, Daniel." She dried her eyes with a tissue and blew her nose. "Things are just... lame at the moment. There's just all this work... we actually take even less leave than we used to... which is saying something. We just spend so much time working. There's no time for other things." She sighed. "If I'd married Pete... I probably would've got bored with the whole white picket fence routine within about a year, but I more than likely would have had a kid by now. I would have had someone to come home to, someone to depend on me, and someone other than one of you guys that I could depend on. Now... now I'm living vicariously through a twenty-two year old, who's had more boyfriends in the past five years than I've ever had."

She turned to face him, noticing the sadness in his eyes. He nodded. "I know." He raised his eyebrows depreciatingly as he looked away from her. "I don't think I would have been married by now if I'd never opened the 'gate. I got lucky with Sha're." He sighed as he shook his head, old memories playing in his head as he started to unburden his soul to her. "She taught me that there was more to life than just work. I would love to have that insight now. Sha're changed me... she made me a better person for all the love she gave, the times she laughed at me for doing women's work." He laughed humourlessly as he remembered things. "And I couldn't even save her. She gave me so much and I couldn't even do that for her." As Sam looked upset, knowing the pain that he was in, he said quietly, glancing at her,

"I think I'll go now. We've said a lot of things tonight."

He made to go but she stopped him. "Daniel." He stopped, his back to her as he rolled his head back, his eyes closed. "Just tell me one thing." She hesitated, unsure. "Why did you use Jack as an insult?"

He swallowed and murmured, "Because you had all that... and you didn't do anything about it. Why let rules stand in your way? We've been doing this for so long... you wouldn't have been punished." He looked down, a sadness on his face as he fought with old demons, fighting to do what he felt was right. He eventually turned to her. "And because... I'm jealous."

With a shake of his head, he left the room, going upstairs, leaving a shell-shocked Sam stood in the middle of her kitchen, tears beginning to run down her cheeks once again. When she regained the use of her legs, she rushed out, running upstairs to find him packing his things, and looking thoughtful. When he sensed her presence, he stopped, his back towards her.

"I'm sorry, Sam."

She leaned in the doorway, watching him sadly. "Why should you be? I'm the one who didn't explain things properly." She sighed as she folded her arms across her chest. "I let him go a long time ago. I don't know what he feels for me, and to be honest, I don't care. Well, okay, I do care, but I wouldn't be as open to it as I might have been."

She looked down at the floor, and he turned around. "What changed?"

She swallowed and asked when her eyes met his, "Do you really want to know?"

He nodded, his heart rate inexplicably speeding up. She nodded in reply, saying softly, "You." She sniffed away more tears as she turned away, walking towards the stairs. He stared at where she had been and then went after her. He stopped her on the landing and turned her around. Their gazes met, the frisson of the previous evening returning, and once again he found himself drawn to her lips, and she his. Their hearts pounded in their chests as they stood on the precipice of a moment that had been ten years in the making. He caressed her cheek, their lips moving closer, when the sound of a ringing phone broke the spell.

Embarrassed, Sam reached into her pocket and stepped away from Daniel as he, embarrassed too, walked back to her room. She answered the phone, talking into it for a few minutes as she nervously ran her fingers through her hair, before disconnecting. She then stared at the doorway of her bedroom, seeing Daniel stood over his bag, but not packing. Running her fingers through her hair again, she put her phone away and went into the room.

He asked, glancing back at her, sounding as casual as someone asking for the time, "Who was it?"

She replied with a shrug, "Oh, it was just Cam... just checking in. I told him you were in the shower. He's coming back from Kansas tomorrow and wants to see Cassie."

"Right, okay."

She watched him, looking thoughtful before pushing herself off the door frame and taking his bag off her bed. She sat down and he sat down too after a moment's hesitation. He put an arm around her as she rested her head against his shoulder as she slipped an arm around his waist. His cheek resting against her hair, he whispered suddenly,

"Why didn't you say anything?"

She looked up at him, bemused. "Why didn't _you_?"

He gazed down at her wistfully. "There was Jack. He was always there... even when you were with Pete. I know you said that you broke your engagement off because of doubts, and your Dad... but I always thought that you felt awkward marrying someone that wasn't Jack."

She couldn't help but smile. "You really are an idiot, aren't you? You always knew me inside-out... damn, I must not have been good at the whole conveyance thing." He smiled slightly at her as she took his glasses off. "The truth is that I didn't want to marry someone who made me turn my back on my best friend. It wasn't Pete's fault... it was just me handling all the emotional crap badly, but I could've done it better, admittedly."

"Hey, come on, you weren't turning your back on me. You were out having a life... which is more than I've ever had."

She shook her head, her smile fading as she looked down at the glasses in her hands. "No, I felt guilty, because I had feelings for you that were way beyond friendship, and I was engaged to someone else. I shouldn't have been feeling like that. I kind of dealt with those feelings when you were on your way to Atlantis and I was in Nevada." She made a face. "It was hard... I really wanted to tell you when I came back, but then Vala came into the picture." She shrugged. "I guess I'm not so bright when it comes to stuff like this."

He rubbed her arm. "Sam... we're geeks. If we knew how to handle stuff like that, we wouldn't be geeks, would we?"

They laughed softly and then she looked up at him again. He smiled slightly as he caressed her cheek. She returned his smile, smiling in anticipation as their lips grew closer once again. She had just slipped an arm around his neck when a ringing sound interrupted them again. However, this time, Sam took the phone from her pocket, and threw it out of the open door, onto the landing, where it hit a wall, and promptly stopped ringing. He whispered, looking amused,

"What about your phone?"

"I can always fix it."

He caressed her cheek once again and she slipped her other arm around his neck as their lips finally met. Their eyes closed, they continued to kiss as they overcame the initial shivers of delight. They moaned softly as the kiss intensified, and eventually Sam straddled his lap as he held onto her, partially to prevent her from falling. Daniel whispered when the kiss ended, their foreheads resting against each other's,

"Oh Sam..." He looked into her eyes, mesmerised as well as aroused. "I..." He couldn't get the words out, his fingers reaching for her hair, the Archaeologist rendered speechless by the kiss and their present position.

She groaned softly, whispering in reply as she held him tighter, "Well, you are sat on my bed... with me in your lap." She giggled when she felt something, and she kissed him, the kiss this time quicker than their first one. "Only if you want to, though. We can probably work this out some other way if it's too soon."

He smiled and then kissed her in reply as she pushed him back onto her bed, continuing to kiss him as she worked on undoing his shirt. Suddenly she stopped, remembering something. He looked up at her with a concerned frown, asking,

"Sam?"

She asked, looking down at him, worried as she lie over him, "You were going to quit the team... just like that?"

He grimaced as he looked away from her, and then at her again. "I was angry... and so were you. I wouldn't have quit... it was just in the heat of the moment like what you said about Vala. We probably would have worked it out once we were able to face each other again." He reached up to touch her cheek. "I really am sorry for what I said. Jack's one of my best friends... I would have been happy if you guys had got together... even if I didn't think it would have worked."

She sighed as she rested her head next to his. "Same here about Vala. I'm jealous... she gets more of your time. I hardly ever see you these days."

He frowned. "Sorry about that. I guess I could have tried harder to be a better friend to you, rather than burying myself in work. Forgive me?"

She smiled as she kissed him. "I never seem to be able to hold things against you for long." She continued to undo the buttons of his shirt as he gazed up at her, smiling in anticipation. He sat up as they began to undress each other, beginning a gentle exploration of each other's bodies and venturing into a new level of sharing.


	5. Chapter 5

"So... are you going back to work tomorrow?"

The next morning, Sam, her arm across Daniel's bare stomach, looked at the Archaeologist next to her as he looked up at the ceiling. He eventually looked at her and shrugged. "Landry did say that we had until Wednesday if nothing happens..." He smiled slightly. "But he's expecting us to be back by Monday... something about us being workaholics."

She smiled though she appeared troubled that he wasn't making any promises. He turned to her again and touched her cheek as he looked concerned at her expression. "Hey... about last night..." She nodded in a grim acceptance, not wanting to hear the rest of what he had to say, her gaze lowering as she moved her arm from around him. She sat up, gathering the sheets around her torso as he stared at her with a frown.

"I know. We had an argument; it was tension relief. That's okay. I can deal with that... I _will_ be able to deal with that." She closed her eyes, forcing herself not to cry.

He immediately sat up, looking hurt. "Sam." She shook her head, turning away from him but he forced her to meet his gaze. "Sam, listen to me." He looked troubled, realising that she was crying quietly. "Last night wasn't tension relief. I thought you knew that." He slowly held her in his arms. "Where on Earth did you get that idea from?" He threaded his fingers through her hair as he held her close. He then kissed her hair. "I was just going to say that I didn't regret it. I know it was rather quick by conventional standards." He smiled slightly, still looking concerned. "If you want me to, I could stay here with you 'til Wednesday."

She looked at him, surprised, and he dried her eyes. She said, now looking embarrassed as she looked away, "I thought..." She then smiled shyly and kissed him. "I'd like nothing more for you to be here." She hugged him. "Sorry about that. I guess I'm still a little on edge after the argument last night." She groaned. "That was scary."

He let out a long breath as he contemplated how the previous night could have turned out. "I'll say." He gazed down at her. "Sam... I don't want you to expect too much. I'm still trying to get my head around this whole..." He looked around the room, trying to think of a word. "... thing." When she looked up at him, looking hurt, he continued hastily, "That's not to say that I regret it, because I don't." He smoothed her hair. "It's just that – and I know I'm being selfish saying this – but I wasn't expecting any of this to happen. I thought I'd never tell you how I felt... how I feel about you, and now look where we are." He tenderly kissed her forehead.

She looked pensive as she slipped an arm around his neck. "I know what you mean... it's a lot to get used to." She looked up at him. "So... do you want to keep it a secret 'til we've got a better idea of what we're doing?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Cassie descended the stairs with Simon, the former remarking quietly, "Let's hope that they haven't killed each other."

Simon replied pensively, "Well, Daniel wasn't on the couch when we came back and his car's still here." He paused. "Maybe they made up." They reached the bottom of the stairs and he asked, "Where are we going after breakfast? I figure you want to do something before the flight home this evening."

Cassie hummed in thought as they entered the lounge and she stopped, facing him. "I was thinking we could go out with those two, but I don't know if they're talking to each other or not. In any case, you want to finally go to the Zoo?"

He smiled. "We walked into a Zoo last night."

She raised an eyebrow. "These two arguing does not a Zoo make." She grabbed his hand. "Let's get some breakfast." They walked into the kitchen, their smiles vanishing on seeing a surprising sight. Daniel was sat at the kitchen table with Sam in his lap, the two mired in a passionate kiss. Cassie and Simon stared at the scene, agape. They then stared at each other and then at the scientists again.

Eventually realising that they had an audience, the pair looked up at the doorway with twin expressions of guilt and surprise, realising that they had been caught. Sam, too shocked to move from Daniel's lap, said, "Uh... hi."

Daniel added, shocked too, "Yeah... hi."

Cassie and Simon stared at each other once again, the latter, embarrassed, going back into the lounge. A shocked Cassie then looked at Daniel and Sam. "You guys are... killing the unicorn after all." Looking disappointed that they had kept a big secret from her, Cassie shook her head and left the lounge, running upstairs, followed eventually by Simon.

Sam, upset, looked down a troubled Daniel, saying, "She thinks we've been doing this for a while." She kissed him quickly and then got off his lap. "I'll be back in a minute. I've just got to..." He nodded in understanding and stood up to return her kiss.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam found Cassie in the guest room, Simon just sitting next to his girlfriend, unsure of how to deal with the Hankan who was muttering angrily. Simon looked up on seeing Sam, knowing that she had come to talk to Cassie. He stood up and with a nod left the room, closing the door behind him. Sam looked at where he had gone to for a moment before taking his seat on the bed next to Cassie. Fully expecting Cassie to explode at her, she was surprised when the teary-eyed younger woman just looked up at her and asked, sounding hurt,

"Why didn't you tell me? I thought you'd lied before when I saw you in bed together, and you made me feel like a nut case... and now you two really are an item. How long?"

Sam, looking upset, replied, "We never meant for you to find out that way. I'm so sorry."

Cassie firmly persisted. "How long?"

"The truth? Since last night."

Cassie looked at her, as though to ascertain whether the Colonel was telling the truth or not. Sam flopped back down on the bed with a sigh, saying, "I'm sorry you had to see that. To be honest, we weren't going to tell you... or anyone. Everything's up in the air at the moment." She looked up at Cassie when the Hankan turned to look at her. "But, I swear, I would have told you as soon as we were more certain about things."

Cassie still looked hurt. "What about that huge argument? What about all those little looks you've been shooting each other the whole weekend? Stuff like this doesn't suddenly happen... not with someone you've known for so long. There had to have been a build-up. You must have known how you felt about him."

Sam closed her eyes with another sigh. "Last night was a mess. We're shit at relationships. The fact that either one of us are incapable of holding down long term relationships should have clued you into that." She exhaled. "Daniel was the reason why I broke up with Pete."

Cassie frowned. "Yeah, but you thought he was dead."

Sam opened her eyes. "It wasn't just that. Everything just suddenly hit me. Being with Pete was supposed to make me a better person. It was supposed to give me a chance to have a 'normal' life... to love and be loved by someone. But I realised that I was being selfish, and that it made me worse as a person because I realised that I had deeper feelings for Daniel than I was willing to admit to myself, and that it was all such a big mess." She paused. "I was going to tell him but I didn't... and then things got hellish at work with the whole Ori thing. Last night... we got angry at each other over something really stupid... things were said."

Cassie suddenly smiled as she lie next to Sam. "I take it that he has feelings for you too?"

Sam grinned, her heart light with happiness and the fact that she had unburdened her soul. "Oh yeah." Sam's smile faded a little as she reached for Cassie's hand. "Are we cool?"

Cassie nodded, looking cheeky. "Only if you tell me _everything._"

Sam looked shocked. "Cassie!"

Cassie smiled and Sam laughed softly before saying, "Cass, I want to tell you something. Cam's on his way back from Kansas. He's coming to hang out a little later." Sam smirked as Cassie's eyes glazed over at the thought of the southern Colonel. "Hey, you've already got a boyfriend. Anyway... Daniel and I are pretty much in the early stages. We don't know if this is going to work out between us, so I want you to promise me that you won't say a word to Cam. It's just going to make things complicated."

"Sure." Cassie squeezed Sam's hand. "I'll make it a sub-clause in the Hippocratic Oath." Sam laughed in amusement and Cassie's smile faded into an anxious expression. "Hey, when you two know what you are doing, you'll tell me, won't you?"

Sam nodded as she reached over to move a stray strand of hair from Cassie's face. "Of course." She grinned. "Now come on, you and Simon need breakfast... and we promise we won't do anything else embarrassing in front of you."

Cassie snorted with laughter. "Yeah right." She laughed a little more. "Your faces..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam stood on her doorstep, watching Cam's car pull up at the kerb. The southern Colonel emerged from his car as Sam left her house. He grinned, hugging her as he exclaimed in greeting, "Hey, you. How's it going?" He spun her around as she laughed, and she hit him on the shoulder.

"Hey, quit it, _Cameron_."

He put her down and let her go. "Fine, _Samantha_. So... where's Jackson?"

As they walked into the house, their arms around each other, Sam replied, "Oh, he and Simon are talking at the speed of light in twenty different languages in the kitchen."

"Simon, huh? New guy?" He looked at her teasingly and she rolled her eyes.

"No, Cassie's."

"Oh right..." They entered the house. "Hey, you know, I got ya something." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small brown paper bag and handing it to her. "Little something from Shawnee."

She smiled and hugged him. "Thanks Cam, but..."

"No buts. You rarely go places but you're always getting stuff for me and the rest of your boys when you do, even if it's work-related." He gestured to the bag. "Go on, open it."

Still smiling, she opened it, her smile widening on seeing its contents as she glanced up at him. She pulled out a snowglobe, inside of which was a miniature replica of a building very loosely resembling the US Capitol Building. She saw the following words engraved on the front of the base, 'Kansas State Capitol, Topeka.'

"Thanks. How was it?"

He smiled at her. "It's the sort of place that lets you forget about everything." His wording was deliberate, knowing that Cassie's boyfriend was somewhere in the house. "I'll take you someday. Went down to Topeka. It's a long drive from my parents' farm but well worth it. You have _got_ to see the Capitol. It'll blow your mind."

She smiled as she shook the globe as she and Cam went to the kitchen, snow appearing to fall on the building when she gazed at it. As Cassie introduced her boyfriend to Cam, the southern Colonel punched Daniel's fist in greeting. "Yo, Jackson, how's tricks? How much did it take for Sam to get you to leave the mountain behind? She knock you out?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Cam, Sam and Daniel wandered around the Zoo with Cassie and Simon, the Hankan taking photos. Cam remarked, his hands in his pockets as he looked around at his surroundings, "Man, how did you not know about this place?"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a look and shrugged as Cassie and Simon wandered off, Daniel saying, "We live and breathe the mountain."

"Cool place though, huh?" Cam beamed. "Hey, when's the grizzly display?"

Sam looked amused as Daniel frowned at the leaflet he held. "That was at one." They all glanced at their watches. "You're in time for the mountain lions... although there's moose at two-thirty. Seeing as it's a Sunday, there's primates at that time too and hippos."

"Is that so... I propose a split. We've each got cameras... then we can meet up for a bite to eat. So loving this place... although the ponies bored the heck out of me."

Sam remarked teasingly, "Only because the feeder ignored your suggestion."

"Aww, that feeding was all wrong. So..." He looked at Sam and Daniel. "I call the mountain lions."

Sam glanced at Daniel. "Moose?"

Daniel replied with a shrug, "Yeah, we could... How about the giraffes as well?"

Sam smiled as Cam looked from one to the other in confusion. "Which part of _split_ did you miss? Just because you can read each other's minds most days doesn't mean that you have to scare everyone else with your combined cleverness. In fact, I think there's laws against that. There should be anyhow."

Sam mentally grappled for an excuse. She glanced down at her camera. "Well, Daniel's got a better camera."

Cam frowned a little as though he was trying to work something out. "You two okay? You seem a little off to my keen professional eye."

Sam and Daniel wore twin expressions of innocence, Daniel replying, "We're fine." He glanced at Sam and back at Cam again. "You know, we missed the otters." Leaving a confused Cam, Daniel said as Sam walked away with the Archaeologist as though nothing was amiss, "Later, Mitchell."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Cam's confusion soon left him as he stood at the mountain lion enclosure, watching the feeder explain to the gathered crowd about diets, reproduction cycles, and habitats. The Colonel took several photos as he admired the smooth way the animals moved despite their size. He took a few more pictures before getting bored by the feeder, who was very obviously passionate about what he was saying, but somehow hadn't managed to convey quite that level of passion in his words. Cam thought grimly that the man could talk a perfectly happy person into depression, or at least inadequacy. Taking a moment to admire the animals, he left, apologising to the people he accidentally bumped into as he pushed through the crowd around the enclosure.

He glanced at his watch before looking around, trying to decide where to go next. He smiled briefly on sighting giraffes in the distance, their heads just visible above their enclosure. He took a photo and was walking in that direction when he stopped in his tracks. To his right, near the gift shop, were Sam and Daniel, liplocked and looking very intimate. He stared at the sight, clues and such from earlier falling into place. He walked up to them until he was a couple of feet away before he snapped a picture. They jumped apart in surprise, simultaneously exclaiming on seeing him.

"Cam!"

"Mitchell!"

Cam looked from one to the other with a smirk. "It all makes sense now. You know, if you wanted to be alone, you could've just said." He paused, amused at how scared they still looked. "How long?"

Sam found her voice first. "A day." Daniel nodded in support as he reached for her hand.

Cam slowly nodded as though deep in thought. "Damn, you two move fast." He smiled slightly. "Hey, well, you know, I trust that you guys know what you're doing." He grinned and hugged them both. "Congratulations."

Daniel asked, looking sceptical, "Congratulations?"

"Hey, what else do you want me to say?" Cam put his arms around both of them. "Come on, you didn't come here to make out. You can do that later. Let's go check out the giraffes. We'll get a lot more pictures of those guys. I am _not_ going back to the mountain lions... that guy could talk me to sleep..." Noticing that Daniel and Sam were both looking at him oddly, he continued, "Not that way, you two. Grow up."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but it's more likely that the next chapter will be... hopefully. lol_


	6. Chapter 6

_Gratuitous nudity in this chapter... I don't even know why I'm warning you. You know there's a bath scene coming up... ;o) What I probably should warn you about is that it's hard keeping it to a T rating when it comes to Daniel in the nude._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam, Daniel and Cam stood in the middle of a busy airport terminal with Cassie and Simon. A tearful Sam pulled Cassie into a tight hug, which was returned in kind, neither woman saying anything nor wanting to unless they burst into tears then and there. Daniel and Cam looked on in concern as Sam eventually let the Hankan go, holding her hands as she said,

"Call me as soon as you get home, okay?"

Cassie nodded, drying her eyes with a tissue, and Daniel said with a slight smile, sad too that Cassie was going but not as torn up as Sam was, "Come here." He hugged Cassie, and as he did so, he thought of how his life could have turned out, and how, had he met the right woman long ago, he could have had children the same age at least as the young woman in his arms. He slowly let her go. "Have a safe flight home."

As Cam, who wasn't as down as the others, said his farewells to the Hankan, Daniel approached a now shy looking Simon. The Archaeologist held out a book and placed it in the younger man's hands, saying with a little smile, "Some reading for the flight when Cassie's sleeping off the tears."

Simon looked down at the book that he held and said, looking up at Daniel again and about to refuse the gift, "Daniel..."

Daniel waved dismissively. "Don't. It's yours." He smiled. "You're going to love it, and not because you share his surname. Michael Ventris is the man credited with deciphering the Linear B script. It's got a really cool cypher in the appendices."

Simon smiled as he looked down at the book once again. "Thanks, Daniel."

"You're very welcome." Daniel patted Simon's shoulder as they heard a voice over the PA system, announcing that the next flight to Los Angeles was ready to board. "It was nice getting to know you."

"Likewise." Simon said in a quieter tone of voice as he glanced at Sam, who was talking to Cassie, "And you know, you and Sam are more than welcome to come down to Westwood... your crazy schedules permitting of course."

"Thanks." Daniel shook hands with Simon, and then looked at Cassie and asked, "You guys ready to go?"

After one more round of farewells and promises to call, three members of SG-1 watched the young couple walk through the terminal towards their gate. As Sam's gaze remained distant, the Astrophysicist wanting to stay until they had completely left her sight, Cam and Daniel looked at her in concern. As Daniel slipped a comforting arm around her waist, Cam asked,

"Sam?"

At last, Sam's gaze fell, and without looking at either man flanking her, she said, turning around to leave, "Let's go." She walked away, leaving them behind, and Cam looked at Daniel.

"If you let her drive again, I'll kill you."

Daniel retorted as they followed his girlfriend, "Funny. I was going to say the same thing."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The general mood had steadily improved during the drive from the airport, and Sam said, sitting in the passenger seat of her car as Daniel drove while Cam quietly fumed from the back seat at not being in the driving seat, "Hey, let's go do something."

Cam remarked grumpily as he glared at the back of Daniel's head, "Yeah, let's actually use the gas pedal."

Sam smirked as Daniel ignored the remark, the Archaeologist asking as he glanced over at Sam, "Where do you want to go?"

"Let's get some coffee. I want some cake."

Daniel grinned as he continued to drive, knowing the perfect place as Sam chuckled softly at his reaction. Cam suddenly looked upbeat and he grinned too as he slapped the side of Daniel's seat. "Now we're talking!"

Sam smiled as Daniel remarked, raising his eyebrows briefly, "It's like having a kid in the back."

"Well, I have a theory about mission report 30185... and it's _not_ Jack O'Neill who could be my Daddy. Damn, _Cameron Jackson_ doesn't really have the same ring to it."

Daniel retorted as Sam collapsed in a fit of giggles, "_I_ have a theory about that theory. You just want to take my last name." He smiled briefly. "I'm flattered. Maybe you could hyphenate it."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

At Starbucks, as Cam, coffee in hand, wandered off to make small talk with a woman he had spotted, Sam sat next to Daniel on a couch in a quiet corner of the coffee shop as they sipped their coffees. He rested his arm behind her as she leaned into his embrace with a blissful smile on her face. Putting her cup down on the table in front of them, she said, closing her eyes for a moment,

"This is great."

He smiled down at her. "Sure is." He put his cup down on the table too and looked at her sympathetically. "How are you feeling?"

She replied with a shrug as she rested a hand on his thigh, "Pretty good now."

As they, amused, watched Cam being a handed a strip of a paper by the woman he had been chatting to, Daniel asked, "Do you think we'll ever tell Mitchell about what's really in 30185?"

Sam smiled slightly as she remembered the prank that she and Daniel had pulled on Cam a few months previously. "Maybe a long way in the future. That foothold situation is more classified than most of the stuff we've done. New recruits aren't even told about it unless they really have to know. We haven't come across any mimic devices since Cam's been on the team, so he doesn't need to know about it."

"Right. Seems a little unfair though."

"Yeah, it bites alright."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Daniel and Sam stood in front of Daniel's front door later that evening, the Colonel looking up at the house as though she was about to do something momentous. He looked at her with a tiny smile. "It looks better inside, believe it or not."

She turned to him with a smile of her own. "Sorry... it's just pretty big though. You were in my house, and now I'm staying at yours."

"Well, if you want to... it could be permanent." He looked at her hopefully.

She grinned, her cheeks reddening as she looked away from him. "I'd love that." She looked back at him as he looked happily surprised, and they kissed. She murmured as she stroked his hair, gazing at him lovingly as he looked dazed. "Come on, let's go in before Cam changes his mind about going home and comes to find us."

He smiled at her and unlocked the door before picking up her bag and leading her into the house. She placed a pile of mail down on a table, and he wrapped his arms around her waist as he held her close, his lips on her neck. She murmured with smile, "I think I know why you want me to move in with you."

He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You do? Would it have anything to do with me wanting to spend more time with you and getting to know you better?"

"Something like that."

"Good... because I do... but that's only a couple of my reasons."

She appeared surprised. "How many reasons do you have?"

He smiled. "Do you have fifty years?"

"Probably." She smiled but appeared bemused at his question.

He grinned at her in a carefree manner and took her hand, leading her upstairs as he picked her bag up. "Come on, let's get your stuff put away."

"What about your mail?" She looked back at the pile of envelopes on a table.

"I'll probably throw most of them away anyway... and besides..." He looked at her suggestively as she looked amused and admittedly a little overwhelmed at how carefree he had become since the start of their relationship.

Noticing her smile waver, he said, looking concerned as they stopped, "Sam, it's okay. We're just putting your stuff away. I'm sorry for acting like a jerk."

She smiled as she kissed him. "If that's your definition of a 'jerk', than go ahead and be one." They resumed their ascent of the staircase as her smile faded. "I'm just noticing changes in you... good changes. I've known you for so long and yet you somehow manage to surprise me."

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An utterly relaxed and carefree Sam was bathing in Daniel's bathroom as the Archaeologist, naked from the waist up and without his glasses, leaned in the doorway, watching her as he sipped from a steaming mug. He said, raising his eyebrows slowly, "You're right. Landry has a hard time saying 'no' to us usually."

She shrugged. "Well, hey, look, the worst that could happen is that we'd be officially assigned to different teams, but come on, we're on the front line here. As a team – the others included – our combined experience and skills are too valuable to be dispersed like that, and we're bound to be in situations where our particular skill sets are required. He'll be pissed, I'll bet, that he has to make a tough decision, but really, there is no other way for him but to keep us both, or to officially split us up and then have either me or you being on loan to SG-1 for particular missions." She ran her fingers through her hair and offered him a reassuring smile as he frowned a little. "We'll be fine."

"We always tend to be, but it's still a worry." He smiled at her. "Who wants to break the news to Jack?"

She rolled her eyes. "Are you still adamant that he'll come down to Colorado to smash your face in?"

"No... not any more. I'm just curious."

"Why do I get the feeling that you'll worry the hell out of it, and then he'll drop in and make some rude jokes about you in particular?"

He shrugged with a tiny smile. "Maybe because he likes embarrassing me?"

"No question about that." She looked up at the ceiling and then looked at him with a grin. "Are you going to stand there 'til I'm done?"

He looked at her with his 'I'm-talking-to-a-crazy-person' expression. "What would you have me do? Do you want me to wait outside?"

She smiled coyly, amused at an expression that she had come to be quite familiar with, but which she had very rarely been on the receiving end of. "Maybe... I don't know... join me?"

He looked mildly amused, his cheeks reddening a little. "It's a bathtub, Sam."

"Well-spotted. What, pray, will you be doing for your next statement of the unbelievably obvious, Doctor Jackson?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm six foot one. You'll be squashed out."

She chuckled. "Are you scared that I'll see you naked?"

He looked at her in disbelief. "What?!"

"Just for the record, I wasn't blind in the kitchen... the lounge... the hall..." She looked up at the ceiling as she mentally counted places where they had made love earlier that day. "... the landing, your room..." She flashed him a grin as he laughed, a touch embarrassed. "You know, I hope that isn't going to be a typical day for us. I mean, as utterly exciting, fulfilling, enlightening, and enlivening as it was, we'd be dead on our feet if we did that on a work night... and I think your neighbours would call the cops."

He placed his mug on a shelf as he remarked, "Well, if a certain Colonel hadn't been so, shall we say, vocal earlier on, we wouldn't have to worry about that. They must either think that I'm a murderer, or shacked up with an insane woman. I think I'd agree with them on that last count."

"Well, you would."

He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Any excuse to use your patented 'you're crazy' look."

"I'm pretty sure that my facial expressions, whether imagined by you or otherwise, aren't patented."

"Well, yours should be. Oh, and Cam's glare... and Teal'c's eyebrow... ooh, and General O'Neill's manifold and multiform wisecracks..." She laughed, and then said, noting that he was still stood in the doorway, "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Well, do you want to jump in?"

"And risk getting the ceiling wet?"

She rolled her eyes as he feigned innocence, and she said, almost growling with frustration and impatience, "Daniel..."

He frowned as he began to undo his jeans, "Fine, crazy lady. You can't complain if you get squashed though... or if we both get stuck, and then have to call the base because if you somehow cut yourself, we can't call 911. You try explaining to Landry how we..." He looked up at her as he finished taking the last of his clothes off, noticing that Sam wasn't really paying attention to anything that he was saying. "Uh, Sam?" He smiled in embarrassment. "I never thought I'd say this to you or anyone really, but... my face is up here."

Her dumbstruck gaze eventually lifted and she flashed him a sheepish grin. "Sorry, can't help it. It's a bit much, you know, seeing that _and_ knowing that I can play with it."

He suddenly laughed, his face reddening as he looked at the floor. She continued, waving helplessly, "Well... at least I was honest about it... although I could have made it sound less cheesy, I'll admit, but you just have that effect on people."

"I make them comment on a portion of my anatomy?"

She laughed at his words and his reddening complexion. "Daniel. Come on. You're going to catch cold at this rate. Try explaining that cold to Carolyn... and I'd have to defend you and... Just get in the tub. It's less messy."

He got into the bath, and after some moving about to prevent either of them from getting squashed, he sat in the other end from her. She grinned and kneeled, slowly leaning towards him, her self esteem getting a welcome boost when he became distracted by her body. As she kissed him, he held onto her, letting her rise above him during the embrace. He moaned when her lips moved to his neck, the Archaeologist groaned, and she couldn't help but smile, flattered and proud that it was she and no-one else who was evidently giving him so much pleasure.

They grinned at each other, and he remarked, "I never thought I'd be using my tub for this."

She kissed the tip of his nose. "Well, like with our jobs, you can never be sure about anything."

She then glanced down and flashed him a wicked smile as her hand lowered, going into the water between them. She caressed his stomach, her hand travelling lower as he groaned, louder this time, his head rolling back as he muttered a swear word. She, fascinated by her handiwork, concentrated on not hurting him. As she continued to explore, the Archaeologist groaning and breathing heavily under her touch, she thought of how the weekend had started. She had been sad about the state of her life then, and then there had been the scary row with Daniel. However, never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that one normal, humdrum weekend could turn out to be more magical and utterly astonishing than either of them could have expected.

Daniel opened his eyes, noticing her faraway look. As though he had known what was going through her mind, he whispered as he touched her cheek, "Come on, let's drain the tub and continue this in my... _our_ bed."

She grinned as she kissed him. This weekend just kept getting better and better.

–– **Fin **

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_Thanks for reading, reviewing, story favouriting/alerting! You guys have been great as always. Thank you! :D_


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